The Substitute Bride: Making Memories Of Us (Lois Stone)

Chapter 176: She Refused To Face Him 

Hayden heaved a sigh.

"Yareli, I know you're mad at me for what happened, but I had no choice! I had to leave you back then."

"Yes, that's right.You had no choice.It's been twenty years, Hayden! And now, you dare ask me how I've been doing? Is it really necessary? Just pretend we didn't see each other today, okay?" Yareli stared at his face.

They had grown old, far away from each other, so there was no more need to associate herself with him.She was already living a good life now, unlike her hellish past.

Back then, she had absolutely nothing! No decent education, diploma, nor job, and on top of that, she was a single mother.

She was forced to go abroad and started working as a waitress.

There was no way that he could ever understand her struggles, and he could never make up for it either.

"It's been so long since we last saw each other.Now that you're here, I can't just pretend that I didn't see you.Look, all I want is to know where our child is."

Hayden didn't like beating around the bush when it came to her.

He was aware of the fact that she was pregnant when he left her, and that she definitely gave birth to their child.

If it weren't for the pressure he received from his family, he never would've married Miley and sent Yareli to another place while she was pregnant.

He knew his mistakes.

But he didn't know that when he chose to send her away, he had lost the chance to be with her ever again because she disappeared.

She had left the small house he arranged for her, leaving him no clue of where she might've gone.

He didn't know what happened to his child either.

The moment he met Ayla, he did a background check on her, but he didn't find anything suspicious.

But now, he wanted to ask Yareli about the child.Did she even give birth to it?

"The baby is dead," Yareli said coldly.

"Did you really expect me to give birth to that baby? Did you think you could get married and live a happy life after you sent me away? Did you really think I'd wait around for you until you decide to offer me some scraps of your affection?"

She had loved him just as much as she loved her own life, so much so that she gave him everything she had.

But in the end, he hurt her so much that she could no longer face her own emotions.She never imagined that the man she once loved would choose another woman and abandon her.

"Did you have an abortion?" The tiny spark of hope that resided in Hayden's heart was extinguished.

All this time, he believed that somewhere out there, he still had another child.

Perhaps it was a son, but now, Yareli told him that their child was dead.

More than twenty years ago, that child died.

"Yes, that baby's dead.So, from now on, you and I will never see each other again.Just forget everything that ever happened between us!" Yareli endured so much heartbreak.

Her child had gone missing.

If he hadn't abandoned her in the past, they might've been a happy family right now.

Sadly, he destroyed her chance of happiness with his own hands.

Unable to bear it any longer, she decided to leave.She didn't even say a word to him.She thought that it was better that they just pretended like they didn't see each other today, and that nothing notable happened.

They both had their own lives now, so they would never cross paths again in the future.He had his family, and she had her career.

Meanwhile, as Ayla sat in Brian's car, she asked, "Where are you taking me?"

This road didn't lead back to his apartment.

"We're going to have dinner," he replied.

"Is this the important thing you mentioned over the phone?"

If she had known this was his intention, she would've just stayed with Yareli.

"What's the matter? Don't you think eating is important?" Brian did this on purpose.

He just wanted to celebrate the successful launch of her fashion show today, but this woman didn't seem to give a damn about it.

"You're right.It is important."

Whenever she saw his stern, handsome face, all she could do was nod.

Obviously, no matter how much she objected, everything would go according to his plan.

Upon seeing her agree, Brian felt satisfied, and continued to drive towards the luxurious restaurant halfway up the mountain in the suburbs.

In that restaurant, people could enjoy a picturesque night view.

A smile appeared on Ayla's face when she saw the place, and then she followed him into the restaurant.

However, she noticed that there didn't seem to be any other guests.

This restaurant was probably prestigious enough.

One might even need to place a reservation before they could get a table at this place. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

How could there be no other patrons besides them? There was only one possibility why this was happening.

He must've booked the entire restaurant.

"Are you sure that the food in this restaurant is good? Nobody seems to be around besides us," Ayla asked with a knowing look.

"You'll know when you try the dishes yourself.The food doesn't have anything to do with how many customers dine here, does it?"

Right now, he really wanted to slap her.

The reason he did this was to create a tranquil atmosphere for her.How ungrateful could she be?

"You're right."

As Ayla flipped through the menu, she noticed that the prices were unaffordable for ordinary people.

One meal cost more than ten thousand dollars.

Noticing her hesitant look as she flipped through the menu, Brian decided to order in her stead.He didn't even need to glance at the menu.

It turned out that he knew the specialty of this restaurant.

Through the floor-to-ceiling window, Ayla saw the cityscape at the foot of the mountain.

Under the moonlight, the city looked so bright and colorful.

From atop, it was a glamorous sight.

Being here made her feel so far away from the hustle and bustle of the city; away from the disturbance of her urban life.

"So, what do you think? Do you like it here?"

Although it was halfway up the mountain, the scenery was nothing short of magical.

That was the reason this restaurant was so popular.And of course, the restaurant's specialty also made it incomparable to an ordinary restaurant.

"Honestly, it's incredible.If it's possible, this place might even be a good place to live," Ayla admitted.

She had had to face so many people and so many things every single day of her life downtown.She was always busy with her work in the company.

Sometimes, even if she was so exhausted, she still had to push through.

Placing his arms around her waist, Brian replied, "Lala, I know that there are some things in your life that you don't like, but you still have to face them.But out of all the things you don't want to face, why do you refuse to face me?"

All he wanted was for her to confront him honestly.

Even if she wanted to say that she hated him, or something even worse, he would accept it.

But unfortunately, she kept all her feelings buried at the back of her mind.She kept refusing to face him, to understand him, and to feel his emotions.She just kept pushing him away.

What on earth could she get out of doing so? Brian had never been considerate of anyone, but for Ayla's sake, he made drastic changes in himself.He dropped his pride in order to get her back, but she just kept refusing him over and over.

"Mr.Clark, are you kidding again? Aren't we facing each other right now?" Ayla deliberately took the literal meaning of his words.

It was true that she could face anything, but she didn't dare to face Brian because she didn't trust her own heart.She knew that it wasn't strong enough to suffer the pain of heartbreak one more time.

And because of that, she kept running away from nim.